Dangerous Creations: The Inventor Novel in Fin-De-Si?cle France (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781487546229)

Dangerous Creations presents a master narrative of the inventor in fin-de-si?cle French literature by analyzing the works of Jules Verne, Albert Robida, ?mile Zola, and Villiers de l'Isle-Adam. Their writings challenge the role of science in shaping French national identity and aim to transform contemporary understandings of science and technology.
The book reveals how Verne, Robida, Zola, and de l'Isle-Adam reimagine the figure of the inventor, reshaping the literary standards of their time. Universally male in these narratives, the inventor serves as a flawed exemplar of national heroism during the Age of Empire - a period marked by significant external threats and internal strife - while also embodying unrestrained creativity. Ultimately, the inventor novel reflects broader French anxieties surrounding scientific progress, empire, and gender.
Ana Oancea explores the transmedia and transnational legacy of the fin-de-si?cle inventor novel through vignettes that highlight similarly themed narratives in contemporary popular culture. These sections engage with films, television series, graphic narratives, and video games that reinterpret key aspects of the inventor narrative, shedding light on its power structures, racial and gender politics, and colonial aspirations.

Author: Ana I. Oancea
ISBN-10: 148754622X
ISBN-13: 9781487546229
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Language: English
Published: 05/20/2025
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.00d